THE IMPACT OF BROADBAND: GAMING EDITION
A different kind of game Esports creates educational opportunities BY LISA SAVAGE
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ean Mitchuson and Brandon Dixon met when they were teenagers playing video games every Friday night at the home of a friend’s grandmother. “Everybody would bring their game consoles, and we’d all play,” Mitchuson says. Before the days of online gaming, the local group met and enjoyed games like Quake and Doom. Now, some 20 years later, gaming still plays a significant role in the lives of Mitchuson and Dixon through their jobs at Murray State University. Mitchuson, a senior systems administrator, and Dixon, an instructor in cybersecurity in the telecommunications systems management, have worked together to establish an esports program on the Murray State campus. Esports — short for electronic sports — brings competition through organized or multiplayer video gaming and now plays a significant role in
best gamers in the world, and it’s a great recruitment tool to get them to play at those colleges and universities,” Mitchuson says. ”It’s engaging students in a way that traditional sports could never do.”
GAMING COMMUNITY the video game industry. “Esports has just exploded in the last few years,” Mitchuson says. An esports club formed on campus about 10 years ago as a way for gamers to play, connect and compete, but Mitchuson, Dixon and several students worked to establish esports as a program in the telecommunications systems management department. Plans include designing and building a hybrid computer lab and arena to host gaming tournaments. Esports uses tournaments and other organized competitions to help gamers connect, and it’s becoming a recruitment tool for colleges and universities. Some colleges with established programs offer full-tuition scholarships for gamers playing League of Legends and similar games in tournaments. Students represent their schools in competition against other teams from all over the world. “Those are some of the
Esports caught the attention of Jacob Mitchell, a sophomore at Murray State University, because of the vibrant gaming community it represents. “I’ve always been interested in gaming,” he says. The educational aspect of gaming helps him in his career path in engineering graphics and design. “It’s fun to have a group of people who share the same interest,” he says. Mitchell likes to participate in Overwatch, a team-based game he plays often with others from places like Canada and California. “It’s just another way to find friends that have the same interests as you,” he says. But it’s more than just having fun, he says. Esports focuses on team-based skills and helps develop players’ ability to strategize. “You’re training your brain to pay attention to details while getting a view of the big picture,” Mitchell says. “I don’t see esports decreasing in popularity.”
Esports director Sean Mitchuson, front, helps student player Jacob Mitchell, center, practice the game Overwatch, along with instructor Brandon Dixon.
12 | November/December 2019
WK&T Telecommunications Cooperative
